Swann's SwannEye HD Indoor and Outdoor Wi-Fi All Weather Camera ($180, aka ADS-460) is another contender for your dollar when it comes to iOS-enabled security cameras. Unlike some models that are plastic and light, this is a solid, metal-bodied unit. Designed to be mounted, it has a base, an adjustable neck, and then the camera itself, with a movable hood. Once connected to your Wi-Fi network, the images are broadcast from the camera to an iPhone-only app. It shoots 720p video, promising up to 30FPS recording, and can be used day or night.

It’s not very often that we simply give up on a product during the review process, but SwannEye HD brought us to that point. After going through an incredibly frustrating, extremely time-consuming setup process following a factory restore—thanks to a combination of poor documentation, multiple setting menus, and just unclear design all around—we couldn’t even get the camera to join a Wi-Fi network properly, after multiple attempts and reading the instructions. And this was all on a Mac, as Swann’s iOS app can’t add the camera to your wireless network without computer assistance.

Compared to other iOS-compatible security cameras we’ve tested, the SwannEye is so user-unfriendly we had to walk away. The on-paper specs and price tag are appealing, but the software hassles are just too much. We’ll leave this one unrelated because we weren’t able to test it properly, but our impressions are not positive in any way.

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